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Star Wars Rebels

Lewis: Alright, so a trailer for the second-half of Rebels season three dropped out of nowhere this week…

Ben: It was a surprise considering it is starting again on Saturday, but what a trailer.

Lewis: I know right? I don’t think it was as good as the trailer for the first half, but this gave us so much information and stuff that it’s a little difficult to sift through it all.

Ben: There was a lot going on- so many different action sequences that have been thrown together.

Lewis: A ton of characters both new and old as well, and a lot of references. But the action sequences looked absolutely fantastic, especially the scene with the Ghost flying through Star Destroyers.

Ben: Is it me or does it seem a bit more backs against the wall now? I feel like the tone is beginning to match the grittier Rogue One rather than the kids’ show we had before.

Lewis: For sure, it looks like they’re on the back foot for most of this half-season. Like you said, it does seem to match Rogue One in its tone, which makes sense since the show is getting closer and closer to the film timeline. But then again, trailers don’t always match the final product…

Ben: Yes that is true, but I would really like it to follow the Rogue One pattern and get a bit grittier. At the end of the day it is a kids’ show but it’s going to have to change a bit to match the rest of the canon.

Lewis: I’m sure it will, it’s already been moving in that direction, and since Dave Filoni has said we might be seeing the Battle of Scarif in season four I think it’s going to keep building in terms of grittiness.

Ben: I think we are going to see quite a big leap in time- from memory season 1 of Rebels was set about 4 years before A New Hope and Rogue one ends about 10 minutes before it.

Lewis: I think it was five years but tomato/tomato. As for where it is now, I think it’s 2 years away, but there’s a time jump of at least 1 year between each season, so it’s feasible that we could see Scarif in season 4.

Ben: That’s fair, the second half of this series looks like the rebels are beginning to band together, but as long as they don’t just group together by magic I am fine with it. Rebels does have a tendency to make things just happen.

Lewis: I think Thrawn will attack Chopper base and force the rest of the Rebellion to save the Ghost crew’s cell, or they’ll have to evacuate to Yavin or something.

Ben: I think it will be a while before Thrawn attacks a Rebel Base; he is still waiting and analysing. But what you have said makes sense to me.

Lewis: Shall we talk about some of the reveals?

Ben: That is the next step- which one first? Saw Gerrera?

Lewis: I think we should start with Saw, considering his importance at the moment

Ben: So we see a Robot leg-less Saw in the trailer with the voice of Forest Whitaker, which is a nice touch for continuity.

Lewis: Forest Whitaker is back, baby. I’m excited to see his relationship with the rest of the Rebellion, and we might get to see what drove him into madness/isolation. It looks like he’ll be around for more than one episode.

Ben: I expect we will see the disagreements he has with the rest of the Rebel leaders, since that would give his Rogue One appearance a bit of context. We get to see a Hologram of Mon Mothma, but you know who I want back- Wedge. It makes sense for him to come back now.

Lewis: Well we get to see Mon Mothma on the bridge of the Ghost too, along with another new guy and someone in a flightsuit who I think is Sato’s nephew. As for Wedge, there’s a short clip of him standing with Hera under a bombardment. I think Saw will definitely be one of the more interesting parts of these episodes.

Ben: I thought I saw Wedge in the trailer, but I’d forgotten about that kid- didn’t even see him. As for Saw, it might even be the disorganised nature of the Rebellion and their disagreements that give Thrawn his opening.

Lewis: Our friend Pete thinks Kallus will end up giving up the location of the base somehow. Whether it’s deliberately or by accident, I think that’s a pretty safe theory, since Thrawn was keen to exploit the spy rather than silence them.

Ben: That is a pretty solid shout, I’m not sure he would do it accidentally- he is too smart for that, but I think Thrawn could trick him by giving him a false lead or torture it out of him… Torture might be a bit dark for a kids show though.

Lewis: I think Thrawn could definitely out-smart Kallus like you said, but I think his confidence in his abilities will be what eventually leads to his defeat. Unless of course the Rebels have someone who is even more capable (which is unlikely). Anyway, so we’ve seen the return of Saw Gerrera, Wedge Antilles, Mon Mothma, Tarkin, and a few other minor characters, I suppose apart from Sabine’s story arc with the Darksaber, there’s just one more thing to discuss…

Ben: Indeed, shall we start with the Darksaber stuff first though?

Lewis: We can, I mean there isn’t too much to be said. Looks like Sabine is being trained in swordsmanship by Kanan, and they’re trying to get Mandalore to join the Rebellion under Sabine’s rule?

Ben: Looks like she is going to have to sort her Mum out along the way, but it could make for an interesting side story that supports the Thrawn and Maul stories.

Ben: Do you think so? I am not sure, but it does make sense because we don’t see any Mandalorians in episodes 4, 5 or 6 (excluding Boba Fett).

Lewis: Exactly, and I think the loss of Sabine would a) give Ezra a boot over to the Darkside-ish, b) cause the Mandalorians to distance themselves from the rebellion, c) provide a really interesting conclusion to Maul and Ezra’s story. I think it’ll all go down on Tatooine, and she’ll be fighting Maul with the Darksaber and it won’t go well. But yeah, that’s my prediction for the day.

Ben: I buy into that, you have convinced me, well done sir. Speaking of Tatooine, we get one more character reveal- Obi Wan/Ben Kenobi is back. This isn’t exactly a shock because it has been hinted at a few times, but what do you think about the old Ben?

Lewis: Hell yeah he is! “You’re in the wrong place…” What a guy.
He looks frickin’ sweet to be honest, the voice is great, he looks a bit old and worn down, but he can still do the pose. I’m very excited for his appearance.

Ben: I got goosebumps a few times during this trailer, but Ben coming back was the major one. And because of the position in terms of the timeline we still have room for the Obi-Wan solo film.

Lewis: I think it’s what the fans have been waiting for. Everybody loves Obi-Wan, and if the rumours about his appearance in episode 8 are true, then this and that could be an attempt on Disney’s part to gauge interest in a solo film before officially announcing it, as well as giving some of the newer fans a refresher on his character.

Ben: Exciting times ahead- I am really looking forward to the next half of this series.

Lewis: It does look like it’s going to be a good one, I wonder if we’ll see Luke at all? Maybe in the distance?

Ben: I think by this point Ben has had to distance himself, perhaps we will see the domed roof and the twin suns, but that might be a bit too contrived.

Lewis: I’m sure we’ll get a glimpse of him one way or another. Well, apart from saying how awesome this all looked, again, I don’t think there’s much else to talk about? (Apart from Thrawn kicking some butt)

Ben: It looks a training scene with him kicking the crap out of some droids. Speaking of droids we do see a fair few old Clone Wars clankers.

Lewis: We do, looks like there is going to be a lot of Easter eggs and fan service in these next few episodes.

Ben: I will no doubt like pretty much all of it.

Lewis: Shall we wrap up there?

Ben: I think we have covered everything, it basically looks like the Rebels get a kicking at the hands of Thrawn, the Darksaber is used, Mandalore hangs in the balance and Obi-Wan is back.

Lewis: I think that’s a decent summary, and I’m sure there are tales of daring-do in between all this as usual.

Ben: Yeah, I thought it was a pretty strong episode all in all; a nice call back to previous episodes.

Lewis: I quite enjoyed it, like you said it was a nice continuation of Fenn Rau’s story since we haven’t seen him in quite a while. It was also cool to see Sabine’s heritage being explored a bit more.

Ben: To be honest I completely forgot that he was involved in the series until this episode. The Mandalorians are pretty intriguing part of the universe, I would like to see a bit more of them though.

Lewis: I hadn’t forgotten about him but I didn’t really know where he was or what he was doing- apparently just playing board games in a prison cell.

I’ll agree with you on that, they are still a little mysterious in terms of their character, but maybe that’s their appeal? What did you think of the conflict between Sabine and Rau? Believable?

Ben: You have a better memory than I do then. I think it is- she changed sides a couple of times and the Mandolorians never really supported the Republic or the Separatist before and are really only out for themselves during the Galactic civil war. So yeah, I buy it.

Lewis: I liked that story-line- it’s interesting to see a faction that doesn’t have an affiliation with either side, and the conflict between Rau and Sabine was cool.

Ben: I think we have a bit of a thing for characters that sit in the middle and don’t affiliate with the light or the dark sides…

Lewis: I do love a good grey area, and since Star Wars is heavily based around the battle between the light and dark sides it’s cool to explore other area of the universe.
How about the villain of this episode?

Ben: I didn’t mind him, but he was a classic villain of week character- it needed a bit of development.

Lewis: I’m pretty sure we’ll be seeing that chap again though, since he seemed pretty keen to kill Rau and Sabine

Ben: We will definitely see him again, especially now Rau has joined the Rebels. He also had links to Sabine’s mother so perhaps we will explore her background a bit more.

Lewis: Well if the sneak-peek we saw at SWCE is anything to go by, (potential spoilers ahead), the Mandalorians might be featured quite a bit this season. We saw Sabine holding the Darksaber after all, so maybe one episode will take us to Mandalore itself in order for her to see her family and somehow acquire the Darksaber?

Ben: That’s true, they need to get hold of the Darksaber first though. I thought Maul had it but we shall see. I am quite looking forward to seeing Mandalore properly again though, especially without the politics we saw in the Clone Wars.

Lewis: I thought he lost it? Here’s where my limited knowledge of the Clone Wars comes back to haunt me… I’ll certainly be interested to see what they end up doing with the storyline, but I honestly thought we’d see the Darksaber in this episode.

Ben: I’m pretty sure Maul had it, we shall have to wait and see where it appears next. I thought that too, but perhaps it come back in an episode that allows us to see its full back story.

Lewis: Indeed, and I suppose it is a big enough plot-device that it would be a little rushed if it were crammed into this episode. As you said, it needs its own episode, especially if they’re going to Mandalore and Sabine’s mother is involved.
So how about Ezra in this episode?

Ben: I didn’t mind Ezra, he had enough to do to make sure he wasn’t wasted but he didn’t get in the way of the bigger story.

Lewis: Yeah, sometimes they just throw him into the other crew members’ storylines because he’s the lead (cough- The Antilles Extraction- cough) but this time they wrote him in fairly well, without it being clumsy or unnecessary.

Lewis: The action in this was really fun- the Jetpack scene was a lot better than I remember it being when we saw it at SWCE, and I loved the hand-to-hand.

Ben: It was a pretty fun sequence- was it longer than it was at SWCE? The hand-to-hand was a pretty intense fight… the best matched one we have had.
What did you make of the Fenn-Rau-fake-out?

Lewis: I think we saw more than they showed us at SWCE, which is understandable since you want to avoid spoilers. As for the fake out, it’s a pretty cliched move at this point in terms of plots, but I didn’t mind it to be honest. Everybody likes a redemption/the cavalry coming to the rescue.

Ben: Yeah I didn’t really mind it- it is a bit overused, but it’s kids show- they need to build the tension somehow.

Lewis: Exactly, and while we’ve seen it a thousand times the kids who watch it might not have. So, do you reckon that’s about it?

Ben: I think so, I can’t remember anything else happening…

Lewis: Awesome, so that was a decent episode, I’m not sure what’s coming up next though?

Ben: No I have no idea what’s next, I imagine Maul will have to come back soon.

Well you’ve seen what we had to say about this episode of Star Wars Rebels, but what about your opinion? It’s probably infinitely more interesting than our own, so why not leave a comment below? And if you’re feeling particularly generous, there’s a like button around here somewhere…

Lewis: So another week, another Rebels episode. This time we were thrown back into the Clone Wars when Rex, Kanan, Ezra, Zeb, and Chopper find an army of droids that weren’t shut down.
Getting a Rex episode was pretty cool, shall we talk about that first?

Ben: Yeah I suppose- it does expand his story, but I wasn’t a big fan of this episode to be honest.

Lewis: No? I quite enjoyed this one. It was a fun little adventure that, while it didn’t really have much of an impact in the grand scheme of things, gave Rex a bit of limelight that was sorely missing. What didn’t you like about it?

Ben: I didn’t mind Rex and the crew, and you are right it was a nice little side quest, but I really hate what happened to the battle droids. I don’t like how they’ve become the comic relief of Star Wars, and the stupid bit about the Jedi blocking the laser shots into the proton bombs because the droids aren’t accurate enough was annoying. All of it just undermines them as villains.

Lewis: Well to be fair, the droids have been comic relief since the prequels introduced them, and the way they were portrayed in this episode was the same way they were portrayed in the Clone Wars. However, I totally agree about Jedi blocking bit. I know droids aren’t known for their accuracy, but that was just silly…

Ben: They weren’t mocked so much so in the Phantom Menace. And I didn’t like it in the Clone Wars either, it was just a bit too much for my liking.

Lewis: We wouldn’t expect you to. Anyway, apart from the droids, did you like the plot?

Ben: Yeah it was a nice idea- finishing the Clone Wars for good, and not by killing each other but by working together.

Lewis: A nice, optimistic ending. I did like that they addressed the whole “Oh the droids were all deactivated just forget about them” thing. It makes sense that not all of them would just disappear into thin air.

Ben: The ending was a bit corny for me; I appreciated the idea but not the execution.

Lewis: I can understand that. How about the Super-tactical droid? I didn’t watch the Clone Wars very frequently so I don’t know if they were in it, but I thought it makes sense that the droids would have intelligent leaders.

Ben: They did use them a fair amount. It was fairly imaginative for a droid, and it made sense to include a Super Tactical Droids rather than a Separatist general that survived.

Lewis: Although that would’ve been interesting too… I don’t really know what else to say about this episode? I mean, it was pretty much just a nostalgia trip for all the old Clone Wars fans, which isn’t a bad thing, but it did mean that there wasn’t a lot to it in terms of plot development.

Ben: I know what you mean. To me this felt like the first filler episode of the series- it didn’t really serve a purpose. It was fine and all but definitely not my favourite.

Lewis: I hate describing things as “filler”, but if someone had a gun to my head I would admit that, despite Rex’s character development, this was pretty much a… “filler”… episode.

Ben: I think it’s because it is such a standalone episode compared to the previous four, which seemed to be building towards something in their respective storylines.

Lewis: Indeed, but hey-ho, I thought it was still an interesting episode. And I did enjoy the war games between the droids and Rex and Co. purely for nostalgic reasons.

Ben: Hopefully there is a bit more going on in the next episode.

Lewis: Indeed. We shall see…

Well that was a little shorter than usual, but I think I speak for both of us when I say this episode was a bit lacking, but still enjoyable. Are we wrong? Right? Please let us know in the comments below; we crave attention.

Ben: So in this week’s Rebels instalment we’re given another personal adventure (-ish). This time Hera takes the lead as we go to her home planet of Ryloth…

Lewis: Indeed, and we’re reintroduced to Cham Syndulla and his resistance. I liked the exploration of Twi-Lek culture in this episode, but honestly it felt a bit secondary to the Thrawn plot point.

Ben: I think the Twi-Leks were vital to properly introducing Thrawn. In the books, and now in the show, he studies the culture of a race not just their tactics. The Twi-Leks are the easiest way to explore this side of him as we’re already familiar with Cham and Hera.

Lewis: I agree, they were essential to building his character and the various themes that are explored in the novels, but let’s discuss some of those later. Shall we talk about Cham and the fact that, while he is one of the best tacticians in the Rebel alliance, Thrawn outplayed him?

Ben: Cham proved himself a brilliant guerrilla warfare tactician during the Clone Wars, and ran rings around the Imperial officers on Ryloth- It is only when Thrawn takes over that the tide turns. Says a lot about Thrawn to be able beat an experienced commander on his own turf.

Lewis: Exactly, they’re slowly allowing us to see just how much of a badass Thrawn is, and just how much trouble the Rebels are getting into.

Ben: But not a fighting badass; he out-thinks his opponent and then gets others to out-gun them.

Lewis: Although he did demonstrate that he’s handy with a weapon when he stunned Ezra- neither Hera nor Ezra saw that coming, and he looked pretty quick with that blaster. I think he’s proficient in the use of weapons but prefers out-smarting his enemies.

Ben: I suppose that is true, but it really stems from him out-thinking the rebels and knowing that they “Always have friends rushing to the rescue.”

Lewis: What did you think of the little side-plot of the distraction?

Ben: Ah yes, the side-adventure that gives the other crew members something to do. I mean, it was ok- fairly forgettable. I did think the Twi-Lek with the rocket launcher was going to miss the AT-ST and sell Cham and the others out for a second, but that was quickly put to bed.

Lewis: I had that exact same thought. Also, seeing as we saw Kanan blow up an AT-ST at the end using a rocket, surely it would have made more sense to actually hit the thing? Anyway… Like you said, it was enjoyable enough, and it did actually manage to build a sense of tension. Given that we’re talking about how the others were risking their lives on this mission, I had a bit of a problem with Hera’s motivations; I don’t think the art piece was enough of a reason to go on the mission.

Ben: I suppose it means a lot to her culture, but in reality it was just something to show Thrawn’s thought process more than anything.

Lewis: For me that was a bit of an issue because they should’ve focussed a little more on Hera rather than just using her to set up Thrawn. Shall we talk about the aspects of his character that they’ve begun to develop in this episode?

Ben: I guess you’re right, but ultimately the show’s point of view is focused on the rebels, they won’t shift perspective to develop Thrawn. And yes, beyond being a bloody genius, he has to deal with a certain amount of prejudice from other Imperial officers.

Lewis: No, which is why I think they were a tiny-little-bit clumsy in using Hera to build up Thrawn… that being said, I really do appreciate them giving us a villain who actually has some realistic motivations and personality (unlike the inquisitors of the second season…). The racism and prejudice that they’re showing this season is the most interesting part for me. It’s a part of the Empire we haven’t really seen so much in the canon material (it was substantially explored in the EU), and it’s cool that they’re comfortable going into those themes in this show- it also makes Thrawn an almost sympathetic character.

Ben: Yeah I found that, I actually quite liked him- even if it felt bizarre to actually like a Rebels villain. He definitely has more depth than all of the past adversaries they’ve faced, and through that depth we’re being shown the real dark side of the Empire. In the films all we really see is them running around after the Rebellion, but this story emphasises the need for the Rebellion in the first place.

Lewis: I don’t think I could say that I like him, but I really like his character- as you said, he has depth. The characterisation in this episode made him even more interesting, and I think it’s just going to get better as the season goes on. The issues of the conflict and the true nature of the Empire is certainly turning the Civil War into a more realistic/developed idea.

Ben: “Like” may be the wrong word, but I appreciate his character, and you do in a way feel for him. This season is definitely adding an extra dimension to the Civil war.

Lewis: And I’m liking this dimension- it feels more grown up than the last two seasons, what with the spiritual exploration with the Bendu, and the introduction of the Empire’s racism and ruthlessness with Thrawn and that little segment in Wedge’s episode when Skerris destroys the unarmed transport. Shall we talk about the conclusion of the episode? I particularly enjoyed chopper getting up to his usual hijinks…

Ben: Ah yes, the prisoner exchange turned demolition of the house, it was fairly impressive. Where did all those thermal detonators come from though?

Lewis: In the end Hera had to sacrifice her family’s legacy in order to save her friends. I thought they found the armoury and just used the equipment from there?

Ben: Oh yeah. So after they destroyed the house, Thrawn let them go again.

Lewis: I wonder how many times he’s going to let them go before he decides to finish it once and for all? I mean, I appreciate the fact that it makes his character more interesting than the average Imperial Officer, but surely that trick is going to get a little old?

Ben: I think he will keep letting them go until he finds the entire Rebel fleet, or he will capture the crew once he knows the strength of the Rebellion in an attempt to draw them out- I think this will continue for a bit longer.

Lewis: He’s certainly learning a lot about them, and that will most likely lead to their downfall if they aren’t careful. So, overall, what did you think of this one?

Ben: I liked this episode, it may actually be my favourite so far. I know that Hera is a bit neglected in exchange for Thrawn to be developed, but I am sure we will get another chance to see Hera in action.

Lewis: I enjoyed it too, and the glimpse of Thrawn’s true character was certainly one of the highlights of this season so far. Although my favourite of the season is still The Antilles Extraction for its focus on the pilots of the Rebellion… I guess we’ll call it there then?

Ben: I guess so, bring on the next one.

Again, as usual, if you feel like we missed anything, or simply want to let us know what you thought of “Hera’s Heroes”, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment down below. And if you, somehow, liked this piece, why not give it a favourite or share it?

Lewis: So Star Wars Rebels continues with another great episode, and to be honest it’s my favourite episode of season three so far.

Ben: Yeah, this time Sabine is sent off on a mission to help a group of Imperial Academy cadets defect to the Rebellion, while Ezra and Kanan wait to extract them.

Lewis: It’s nice to see one of the other crew members get a solo mission and show off what they can do- we haven’t had an episode like this for a while…

Ben: I did appreciate the step away from the Jedi story line, because, as interesting as it is, the other characters need their time in the spotlight.

Lewis: Exactly, otherwise it feels like they don’t really have a chance to show off their skills and are just left as supporting characters in the Ezra-show. I’d forgotten how badass Sabine was in all honesty.

Ben: She did pretty well for herself, and even though the escape plans were a little weak, she more than made up for it by kicking the crap out of Governor Pryce.

Lewis: I really liked that moment, that was probably the best bit of hand to hand we’ve seen in a while on Rebels. And I agree; the escape plans were a little too simple.
Going back to talking about Ezra, they seemed eager to show that he’s not taking the stress of command very well.

Ben: Yes that seems to be a progressing storyline- I guess because it’s an easy way to show how he feels about the other characters, and makes the strain on his relationship with Kanan very clear.

Lewis: I think he’ll pull it together as the season goes on. So how about the other characters in this episode? One of our favourite chaps in the Star Wars universe made his debut…

Ben: Ah man I love Wedge Antilles. He’s such an ordinary bloke, and grounds the entire story quite nicely. I enjoyed young Wedge as much as I thought I would.

Lewis: He was definitely the highlight of the episode… I’m still not a fan of them changing his backstory, but it does make sense from a story telling perspective. I also enjoyed them chucking Hobbie Klivian in the mix too.

Ben: I get why they changed it, it’s far simpler to make him an academy defector than go into his smuggler story. I feel bad for the other guy though; as soon as I didn’t recognise the name I knew he was going to die. Putting Hobbie in as well as wedge really strengthens the link between Rebels and the OT.

Lewis: I think a lot of people who’ve read the X-Wing comics and books, and anyone who plays the tabletop game, would’ve really appreciated this episode. In particular the inclusion of a villain who was obviously meant to be Soontir Fel (British accent, sweet moustache, and flies an interceptor with red stripes on the wings). I think they could make a spin-off of Rebels that follows Wedge and the rest of Red squadron- that would be awesome.

Ben: Ah see with my limited knowledge of the EU or legends, whichever you prefer, that reference went well over my head.

Lewis: It’s a pretty good reference to be honest. Soontir Fel was an imperial ace who was a bit of a nemesis of Rogue Squadron. In the end he joined the Rebels though and married Wedge’s sister, so there could be an interesting storyline ahead… I really want them to do that Red Squadron show now.

Ben: The Red/Rogue squadron would make a really interesting TV show. Maybe Dave’s next project?

Lewis: So Sabine manages to get Wedge and Hobbie out, but she needs a little help from Agent Kallus along the way- what do you make of him now? (I have a theory about him)

Ben: That was a nice little call back to the events of season 2, and I thought he might defect and go with them, but maybe in the future. Go on then, what is the latest theory?

Lewis: Well we were introduced to a new “Fulcrum” at the beginning of the episode, who was the person that gave the Rebels the information that there were academy pilots who wanted to defect, and the voice sounded a bit familiar to me. Then Kallus turns up at the facility, and conducts an investigation, but he’s just like “Defectors? Here? Naahhhhh don’t worry about it Pryce, that’s impossible. I’ve had a look and couldn’t find anything”, but I’m certain he would have been able to find at least a rumour about a defection. Then he lets them go as well as giving them vital information about their best escape route. Now, he claims it was to get even with Zeb, but I think this was just to throw them off the scent. I went back and re-watched the Fulcrum scene and I almost certain that Kallus is the new Fulcrum. They sound similar but their speech patterns are almost identical. Anyway, that’s my theory…

Unless of course it’s just the same voice actor

Ben: That is an interesting idea, I would buy that. Also, letting them go under the pretence of repaying Zeb keeps his cover intact.

Lewis: Exactly, it gives him deniability.The other hints of him being dissatisfied with the Empire (and Thrawn) are a big clue too. I think Thrawn will eventually ask him to do something that would result in a bunch of civilian deaths or something like that, and he’ll decide that enough is enough and defect.

Ben: That isn’t a bad shout. We already know that Thrawn doesn’t mind civilian casualties from his introduction in episode one, so I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if that did happen.

Lewis: They did make a point to bring that up, and Kallus was actually the one to point it out. Although if Thrawn’s detective skills are anything like they are in the EU he may already suspect Kallus of being a defector. Anyway, is there anything we’ve missed that was in this episode?

Ben: I suppose that is true, Kallas might try to defect and end up in Thrawn’s trap. I don’t think so, pretty sure we got everything.

Lewis: Excellent I’m enjoying this season so far- it’s interesting and fun to see the Rebellion growing. However, I want more Thrawn.

Ben: I agree, we will probably get a bit more of him over the coming episodes.

Enjoy this episode of Rebels? Want to share your opinion? Or even just verbally abuse us? Please leave a comment below!

Lewis: So after an interesting, but kind of middling season premiere, Star Wars Rebels brings back an old foe/friend for the second episode “The Holocrons of Fate”
What did you think?

Ben: I liked this episode, we got to see a lot of development in the relationships between Maul, Ezra and Kanan.

Lewis: Ezra and Kanan finally managed to break through the distance that had grown between them since the end of season 2, although I’m not entirely sure it’ll last very long…

Ben: Yes it still seems a bit uneasy; Kanan has changed his perspective since his blinding while Ezra has begun to depend more on his ‘saber and aggression. I think we can expect to see further strain on the relationship.

Lewis: Although Kanan used to be like that too to an extent… I don’t know, it just seems like it was all healed too quickly for it to last.

Ben: I think that is where the tension rises from- They have both become very different people.

Lewis: Now I guess Kanan has to guide Ezra towards becoming like him, before he goes down a different path. Speaking of different people, how about the Bendu though? He seems like more of a benevolent creature now.

Ben: He is an interesting guide for the two of them to have.

Lewis: I’m liking him more and more, he’s sort of a Yoda character but dare I say a little more interesting because of his nature?

Ben: He is a grey Yoda, and like we said last week, the Bendu scenes are not action packed but the character and his nature makes his scene some of the most interesting.

Lewis: Mmmmm, I hope they do a lot more with his character. I particularly liked the moment when Kanan takes Ezra’s ‘saber away before he goes in the cave, and Bendu is confused as to why- It was a nice call back to Empire, and it showed, again, how differently the Bendu thinks compared to other characters we’re familiar with. Also, I take back what I said, he’s not more interesting than Yoda, I don’t know why I said that, but he’s a good character.

Ben: Shall we move forward and mention how rubbish the crew of the Ghost were this week?

Lewis: They were a little lacking… It felt like the only reason they were there was to progress the plot for Kanan and Ezra.

Ben: It was a very force-user heavy episode, but I’m sure they will get their chance to be in the spotlight.

Lewis: Well it looks like Sabine will next episode, and Hera has her episode coming up too.

Ben: One thing this episode did was show how powerful Maul is; following the escape attempt he recaptured the crew without breaking sweat.

Lewis: I liked that part, but it felt as though the Ghost crew would be a little harder to recapture than they were. Anyway, Maul was very impressive this episode I wonder when we’ll see him again?

Ben: I reckon he will appear now and again, I expected this episode to be the first part of two to be honest.

Lewis: Same here. Until the last five minutes I thought it would be a two-parter, which I suppose is why the last act felt a little rushed. I guess if we’re talking about Maul reappearing later in the show, should we move on to what he and Ezra saw in the vision?

Ben: Well I think it is pretty clear the two of the saw Tatooine and Obi-Wan.

Lewis: Well I thought that as well, and I do think that Maul meant Obi-Wan when he said “he lives”, but we don’t know whether they saw the same thing. And Maul said that he was looking for hope when he looked into the Holocrons, so would that mean Obi-Wan? I think they might both have seen Luke and Tatooine, hence the “hope” reference. Maybe Maul will go to Tatooine hoping to recruit Luke and instead find Obi-Wan protecting him?

Ben: Potentially, if they did see different things Maul may have seen his brother, although I am pretty sure Savage is dead.

Lewis: That’s definitely a possibility, but I feel like that would be a bit cheap considering that he seemed very dead… You could say the way Palpatine killed him was pretty… savage

Ben: I definitely feel that we are heading towards a show down between Obi Wan and Maul which would be really cool, however for it to fit into continuity Ezra and Kanan cannot be there.

Lewis: I would very much like to see that- finish the fight once and for all. Although Maul didn’t seem angry when he saw the vision, he seemed more excited/shocked So do you think he might feel like he and Obi-wan are sort of even now after Satine and he just wants to see him? Go for a pint? And I think they could work around Kanan and Ezra meeting Obi-Wan, but it would be difficult.

Ben: Nah, I think Maul is going all out to kill him. Alternatively he could have figured out who Vader is and we could have a pretty cool Vader vs Maul fight. I mean they could work their way around the continuity, but they I think it would cheapen it with Kanan and Ezra just conveniently not being around.

Lewis: That would be pretty sweet, but I think the emotional pay-off would be greater with the Maul-Obi Wan showdown. Although that does scupper my plans in terms of the Boba Fett- Obi Wan movie I’ve been hoping for. And yeah I guess you’re right about it cheapening the story, but if Kanan and Ezra die eventually then there won’t be a problem…

Ben: I was thinking that- if they die or turn away from the Jedi order then you are right, there is no issue.

Lewis: It’d certainly be interesting to just see them give it all up- but I can’t see them doing that as the characters they are at the moment. Our good friend Pete reckons that Ezra’s rashness will lead to someone getting killed- possibly Hera- and then Kanan turning against him and them killing each other or something along those lines.

Ben: I am not sure about that, I know there are some grey tones in the show but at the end of the day it is a Kids show. One of the crew could get injured but I doubt one of them will die and I cannot see them (Kanan and Ezra) fighting to the death.

Lewis: I think it’s a little darker than you give it credit for, and honestly I could definitely see something along those lines happening- maybe not the fight to the death- but something like that.

Ben: I am yet to be convinced that something like that will happen.

Lewis: We shall see, we shall see. Although I believe someone involved in the show stated that these three seasons follow a similar tone pattern to the original trilogy, which implies that last season was the darkest/most serious the show will ever get, and that this one will be a bit of a let-down and involve teddy bears of some sort (I kid). Anyway, I think we’ve rambled for long enough What did you reckon of the episode overall?

Ben: Please, no Ewoks. I liked it- level with the first episode. I appreciate the investigations into alternative areas on the spectrum of the force and the vision was interesting.

Lewis: Agreed, a solid episode! And I’m very much looking forward to the next one, “The Antilles Extraction”…

Ben: Does that mean what I think it means? Will we get to see Wedge make his Rebels debut?

Lewis: Ok, so we saw this episode of Rebels at the Star Wars Celebration Europe panel, but in all honesty I couldn’t remember a lot of the details from that screening… Now though, season 3 has officially kicked off and it starts with a bit of a bang.

Ben: I wouldn’t say it was the most exciting episode of the show, that may just be because I had already seen it, but it is definitely one of the most interesting episodes in terms of the lore.

Lewis: No it definitely wasn’t the most exciting, but it did throw us straight back into the action, rather than dithering about. And “interesting” is probably the most apt word to describe it- we are introduced to one of the most loved villains of the Star Wars EU (or legends), as well as a completely new character voiced by none other than Tom Baker.

Ben: Dave Filoni does seem determined to keep the legends alive through Rebels. The episode gave us a lot of things to talk about, starting with the much stronger Ezra with his brand new green lightsaber…

Lewis: He’s also very good at picking and choosing the best parts of those stories to include, rather than just throwing needless references into the show. All the elements he brings in are important to the plot and character development.
Anyway, yes, a more mature Ezra and his green lightsaber (which has a very similar design to Luke and Obi-Wan’s hilts by the way). One thing they highlighted in particular this episode was that he was happy to kill stormtroopers with no hesitation at all now.

Ben: I suppose that would be a result of using the Sith holocron that he has kept. It will be interesting to see how it develops now that Kanan is back in the picture.

Lewis: Will Ezra get a grip on his emotions and stick to the light side or will he be even more corrupted over time?

Ben: There are a few theories floating about that Maul is the first Knight of Ren, and we know he is involved this series so we could see Ezra turn from the light side. You never know, Ezra could be Snoke.

Lewis: I could definitely buy Maul being the first Knight of Ren, and maybe have Ezra be involved in that order too (possibly played by Benicio Del Toro in episode 8), but I can’t see him being Snoke. I do like that Maul theory though…

Ben: I like the idea of Ezra turning, I think it would be a fresh approach to the show and the characters. The loss of Ezra and the fallout surrounding it would be a really interesting story line.

Lewis: I hope they’re heading down that route too, although that’d probably mean Kanan will either die or go missing permanently. Anyway, shall we talk about what happened this episode?

Ben: I think we should, so it all kicks off straight away with the Ezra leading the group in a mission to save Hondo Ohnaka.

Lewis: Yes, and his Ugnaught friend whose name escapes me- this prison break is in exchange for information about Republic starfighters that may be of some use to the Rebellion.

Ben: The Ugnaught panics and screws everything up, and so Ezra steps up and we see a demonstration of his darker powers, as he takes control of the AT-ST driver.

Lewis: Remember, that’s something we haven’t really seen before in Star Wars I mean, we’ve seen mind tricks and what not, but we haven’t actually seen someone controlling someone’s actions

Ben: It was quite impressive, and a little disturbing to see Ezra not even bat an eye while doing it. So after the fairly successful prison break the Rebels make their escape, and Ezra gets a bit of a talking to about the botched escape plan.

Lewis: Yeah, but also a promotion for some reason? Which sees a fair bit of responsibility placed on him as he’s supposed to lead a recon mission to scout the location of the Starfighters.

Ben: The promotion does come a bit out of the blue for me.

Lewis: It is out of the blue, but I suppose it sets up the plot of the rest of the episode as well as showing that Ezra has grown up a bit.

Ben: I think that is one criticism of Rebels, a lot of things just magically happen. We get that Ezra is growing up but it seemed so out of place.

Lewis: Anyway, when they’re back at base we get reintroduced to Kanan who’s, understandably, a little broken up after the events of last season’s finale.

Ben: I can imagine you would be after being blinded by a guy you thought was dead and then thought was helping you out and then revealed that he was going to betray you all along.

Lewis: I think it’s reasonable that he’d be upset, yeah.
I’ll be honest, Kanan has always been my favourite character in Rebels, and the path they’re putting him on is probably the most interesting plotline they’re giving us at the moment for me.

Ben: I am really enjoying it aswell, I want to see more of the Bendu. I like the grey mystic area in which it resides. Also I want more Tom Baker.

Lewis: They’ve done an interesting job of bringing in the middle-ground, which was previously occupied by the “Grey Jedi”
He was such a cool character, I loved the creature design and the gravitas Tom Baker gave to the role was awesome- I would bet on him being a major player in both Ezra and Kanan’s stories this season.

Ben: I think he needs to come back, it is such a waste if this is his only appearance. Could Kanan and Ezra leave the order entirely and practice under the Bendu’s teachings?

Lewis: I don’t know, I could see Kanan perhaps becoming less concerned with the Jedi order in its strictest sense, and maybe when he tries to pass this idea on to Ezra he begins to fall further from the light? I think the Bendu will most likely act as a mediator for Kanan, rather than Kanan going full Grey-Jedi.

Ben: I would quite like to see him develop as a character and potentially step away from the Jedi order- it is something we haven’t really seen before (other than the brief bits of Ahsoka from series 2)

Lewis: But what do you think of the Bendu in terms of his motivations? He seems like the kind of guy to just do something because he wants to see what’ll happen, which is a little worrying since he has that Holocron now…

Ben: By the characters nature it is the embodiment of balance within the force, but that doesn’t really let us in on his motivations. You would like to think that in the name of balance he would work towards the Sith losing some of their power… then again he did seem pretty pleased with the Holocron.

Lewis: That’s the thing, if he’s truly balanced then he would likely have no allegiance towards Jedi or Sith- so he wouldn’t really care what happens to either of them. And yeah, that chuckle when Kanan gave him the Holocron was only a little bit menacing… Anyway, while Kanan is receiving some advice from the Bendu, Ezra and the others are all off to scout the salvage yard Hondo told them about

Ben: And the scouting mission very quickly becomes a salvage one.

Lewis: Where it quickly becomes apparent that maybe Ezra isn’t ready for this kind of responsibility just yet. While they are at the salvage station, the new villain of the series shows off his deductive skills and figures out exactly where they are and what they’re doing.

Ben: We haven’t spoken much about Thrawn, he seems impressive but he wasn’t interested in engaging with the Rebels on this occasion.

Lewis: He’s definitely menacing, and it’s nice to see them come up against a villain who isn’t all about the action (like the Inquisitors of the second season), but rather uses his intelligence to out-think them. It’s interesting to see that this faction of Rebels isn’t the only one out there, and Thrawn isn’t concerned with individual factions- he’s after the big catch

Ben: He is incredibly calculating and, pairing that with the ice cold voice, you can tell something big is going to happen.

Lewis: Indeed, and I don’t think it’ll end very well for our merry band of Rebels. Do you think we might actually lose one or two of them this season?

Ben: I am not sure to be honest, it isn’t the sort of show to kill of the main characters; a few secondary ones may bite the dust though.

Lewis: But now that the characters are growing up (and the audience too), maybe they’ll venture into that area? I mean, we had something similar happen in the finale of season 2.

Ben: I suppose that is true, but the death in series 2 wasn’t of one of the main characters.

Lewis: It’s not even clear whether Ashoka is dead or not, I just feel like the stakes are being raised as time goes on- and if they want a good pay off they might have to kill someone…

Ben: I suppose you are right there; it would be the next step. But who would they kill off?

Lewis: I have no idea, and I don’t think I could say until later in the season. Anyway, as for what else happens in the episode, there’s not much else apart from Kanan and Ezra reconciling their differences and getting back to being master and apprentice.

Ben: They’re all made up now, but from what we see in the trailer it looks like we can expect further strain on the relationship caused by Maul.

Lewis: Indeed, which happens to be the subject of the next episode. I’m surprised they’re doing that in episode two/three, I thought Maul would come back much later in the season.

Ben: He’s a fairly important character again now, I would expect him to appear early, then again later in the series

Lewis: I’m sure next episode will be an interesting one at any rate- he’s always a good character. So all in all, what did you think of this one? A good start to the season?

Ben: Undoubtedly a good start. I can’t wait to see where season 3 takes us.

Lewis: It should be an interesting season, and hopefully the other members of the Ghost’s crew will get some good amounts of screen time too.

Ben: Let’s hope so, we know that there are more Mandalorians that will appear so Sabine will have an episode at least.

Lewis: Should be one to look forward to!

Thank you for reading, or if you didn’t read t

he piece thanks for reading what I’ve written here… I guess? Anyway, if you think we’re right, wrong, or even just plain stupid, please feel free to comment below- we’d love to hear your opinions on Rebels season three!